The state of having a clear mind may seem like a difficult thing to attain, especially when you do this to prepare yourself for meditation. However, it is very simple to do and beneficial for your mental health. With the help of the simple steps below, you will be able to achieve a calm, peaceful, and clear state of mind when you meditate.

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Steps

1

Relax your body. A relaxed body aids a relaxed mind and helps to calm racing thoughts. There are several different ways to relax your body, from yoga, to deep breathing. Some ideas to try include:

Go for a walk and get some fresh air. Being outside with nature calms the nerves and relaxes heavy tension in the body.

Take a short nap. Napping is a great way to relax. It keeps your heart healthy, reduces stress, and repairs your body from tense, aching muscles.

Have a glass of warm milk. The substances in warm milk contain a special type of acid that helps you relax and sleep better.

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2

Find a quiet, peaceful place to meditate in. This could be at a park, in your room, or anywhere that you will be able to concentrate completely at. Choose a place free of any distractions, such as loud pets, ringing phones, or small children.

For regular meditation, make somewhere your meditation haven. Whether it's the bedroom or the attic, under a tree outside or next to a body of water, the place needs to connect with you and give a sense of comfort and safety.

A clean room makes your mind peaceful and calms you down. So maybe cleaning up a bit will help you clear your mind.

3

Lay a soft towel, mat, or rug on the ground and take a seat on it. Sit in the Indian-style position, or any other position where you feel comfortable. Begin to breathe in and out, very slowly. You'll start feeling calm and relaxed.

You may feel more comfortable reclining, sitting on your legs, the floor or a chair, standing or even walking. Try each option to see which one works best for clearing your mind.

4

Begin counting your breaths. Try to focus on just your breathing, not your thoughts––the act of counting will help you achieve this. Every time you breathe out, count it as one. If a thought does happen to pop into your head, acknowledge it, and let it pass through. You will soon realize that every time that you count, you're getting closer to entering a state of complete calmness.

5

Focus on one thing. Try to focus only on one thing, it could be anything. This allows your brain to easily clear it's mind off one topic and clear the entire mind rather than having to clear loads of thoughts.

6

Practice this exercise daily. By taking a spare moment to calm yourself and clear your mind, you'll get better and better at doing it each time. In time, you will also find it becomes a lot more natural to block out the external world and to sit calmly.

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Tips

Try changing into comfortable clothes when you do this exercise. Tight, itchy clothes will distract you.

Ensure that the space you're in is warm enough––being too cold is likely to encourage wandering thoughts. Equally, being too warm is oppressive, so seek shade or a cooler part of the house when the weather is too warm.

If you have a lot on your mind, try writing a to do list before meditating. Promise yourself that you'll come back to the list later, knowing that you've captured all the things that you need to prioritize. This can help to remove the inclination to list all your must-dos in your head instead of concentrating on the meditation.

White light in the dark can help calm you. Sit in a dim room and light a small white candle. Concentrate on the flame, it will help calm you.

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